Mexico Expat Forum

Vince
Joined 2004
Posts: 62

18 years ago

Driving to Lake Chapala Part 1

18 years ago

This morning (MAY 8,2005) we entered Mexico through Laredo, Texas.
We bought reputable car insurance at exit 2 on I 35 South, but it was about
double what I could have bought it for on the Internet.

I paid $2 to cross the bridge, the light turned green, and we were in Nuevo
Laredo immediately. The narrow streets were all one way, there were money
conversion centers all over the place, and I was dismayed to learn that I
needed to buy a car permit to travel into the interior.

The auto permit building is huge, but it is very difficult to get to. You have
to follow a series of one-way streets, get on a busy boulevard that will take
you back to the US if you're not in the extreme left lane, and you have to be
quick to pick out the signs.

Since Mexicans also need this permit, they were the majority of the
customers. The clerks were always polite, but they spoke poor English. It
tool me two minutes to cross the border bridge, and about 45 minutes to pay
$29.70 for my auto permit.

Route 80 to Monterrey had an entrance close to the permit center, and so we
were off.

Route 80 to Monterrey starts out as a very bumpy road with lots of gas
stations and bars. After a few miles it becomes a decent road. There is a
checkpoint about 45 minutes later--this is where you enter the interior. The
police officer politely explained that he couldn't speak English, looked at
my auto permit (which you MUST have), and sent me on.

Later, Route 80 forks into a free road and a toll road. The toll road was in
excellent condition, with a 65 mph speed limit (it's actually 100 km/hour,
which is a tad less than 65 mph, but lots of cars passed me).

To pass the time, your passengers can use a calculator to help you learn to
think in km/hour and liters/gallon. Multiplying the number of kilometers by
5/8 to convert them to miles gets old.

PetroMex is about $2.30/gallon, and my car ran well on it. All gas stati0ns
in Mexico charge the same price, and they do not accept credit cards.
Because we were crossing flatlands on a hot day, we stopped at every
PetroMex for gas, drinks, and rest rooms. Their stores were always clean.
Their rest rooms were usually dirty. Most do not have toilet paper, so bring
your own.

I had been warned that tollbooths do not accept dollars, but I had no trouble
getting through them with pesos.

It is about 147 miles from Laredo to Monterrey. About 10 miles out, motel
billboards start appearing. But just before you reach them, Route 40
branched off to Saltillo. You won't find any more motels until you are near
the end of that 53 mile drive.

If you haven't been stopping at every PetroMex station, you'll wish you had
when you hit Route 40. Your 53 mile trip to Saltillo turns into an
adventurous drive up a very high mountain with hairpin turns, lots of slow-
moving trucks, vendors selling rattlesnakes by the side of the road, sudden
speed changes, and a mountain top gas station with a very clean store that
sells booze, snacks, soda pop, and water.

Decent hotels start appearing near Saltillo, but we chose the Holiday Inn.
$60/night for two if it's a week-end, an outstanding dinner for two for $18,
and the entire place is walled in.

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